'Hold my hand tightly': Police officer in China handcuffs himself to suicidal man on ledge in viral video

Desperate to stop a suicidal man from jumping from the ledge of a building, a police officer in China took matters into his own hands by handcuffing the man to himself.

Officer Li Yansong had found the man, surnamed Chen, standing on a rooftop ledge of a residential building in Hubei, China on Aug 23, South China Morning Post reported yesterday (Sept 3).

According to local media, Chen had left his house in a bad mood at around 6am that day. He then became uncontactable, prompting his worried family to file a police report.

When Li and another officer arrived on scene, Chen had reportedly been standing on the ledge for some time.

An alarmed Li immediately sprang into action, calling for his partner to pass him the handcuffs and cuffing their wrists together to prevent Chen from jumping or falling.

Footage of the incident uploaded on Douyin showed Li reassuring Chen repeatedly, gently patting Chen's hand to comfort him and urging him not to make any rash decisions.

"Don't try to get up, just hold my hand tightly," Li said. "It's okay, don't be scared."

The two officers then held Chen's wrist till reinforcements arrived five minutes later, hoisting Chen back up onto the rooftop with the help of firefighters.

Li's courageous act has since gone viral, with several videos of the incident garnering a total of over seven million views

Netizens praised Li's bravery and quick thinking, commenting that they were touched by his actions.

"This time, the handcuff was not used to cuff a criminal, but save a life," a netizen wrote.

SINGAPORE HELPLINES

• Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444
• Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
• Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800
• Institute of Mental Health's Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222
• Silver Ribbon: 6386-1928

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com

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